Soldier Mountain to open new mountain bike park Saturday

FAIRFIELD — After several years of planning and seeking approvals, Soldier Mountain intends to open its brand new lift-access mountain bike park on Saturday, Aug. 8.

“There’s something there for all skill levels,” said Paul Alden, interim general manager, referring to trails ranging from beginner and family-friendly to black diamond and extreme. There’s even a hand-crafted advanced trail that runs almost exclusively through a wooded area.

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” Alden said. “We had so many volunteers. They had that trail cut, (and) they had the good fortune to test ride it and break it in. It was a very fortunate weekend.”

Soldier Mountain plans to hold a grand opening for its new mountain bike park at 11 a.m. on Aug. 8, though it officially opens to the public at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 7. The lodge will be open and offering its hand-formed, home-cooked burgers and carnitas street tacos, while Sawtooth Brewery will stage a “tap takeover in the bar.” DJ music and raffle drawings will also be featured, and Idaho Cycles will be on site for attendees who have bike repair or tune-up needs.

COVID-19 precautions are also in place such as social distancing, sanitizing the lift and mask-wearing indoors or when interacting with others, Alden said.

“We’re encouraging everyone to stay within their own groups,” Alden said, adding it is also suggested that people of the same party ride on the lift together, or if an individual is going up that they ride single.

“The important thing is for people not to forget about (COVID-19) while they’re out enjoying the bike trails,” Alden said. “Let’s not help it multiply.”

Completing Phase One of Soldier Mountain’s mountain bike park

Soldier Mountain’s lift-access mountain bike park has been in the works over the past several years, gaining traction around April 2017 as the forest service was considering granting approval. Trails, using GPS, were being mapped out. Then, in June 2020, ground was broken as two companies — Titus Trails and Apex Trail Construction — began building the trails with machines, including sculpting jumps.

Initially, just three trails (green, blue and black trails) were planned to be completed in phase one, Alden said, but work was being completed ahead of schedule, which allowed for a fourth, pink advanced trail to be hand-built over a mid-July weekend.

Julian Tyo, a board member with Wood River Trail Coalition, immediately volunteered to help. Wood River Trail Coalition is a “stewardship” organization that coordinates volunteer efforts in taking care of local bike trails and providing biking safety information. Soon, Tyo was joined by other volunteers from the coalition and some from Southwest Idaho Mountain Bike Association. Volunteers raked the soil to remove excess brush and rocks, cut obstructive tree branches and, if necessary, moved fallen logs.

“But you want to keep as much of the character on a hand-built trail as possible,” said Tyo, who is an experienced mountain biker and a seasoned volunteer. “(You’re) trying to maintain the challenge of a natural trail. That’s the experience many riders are looking for.”

Being able to work with Southwest Idaho Mountain Bike Association “was pretty special,” Tyo said, as the two organizations don’t get to partner on trails often, being in two different areas of the state. Volunteers also test rode the green and black trails. The mountain bike trails, totaling almost eight miles, were given color and ability designations similar to those of ski trails.

“Most hand-built trail volunteer efforts are small reroutes or connectors or multi-use trail experiences; having the opportunity to work on trails many of us grew up riding … that was a really unique opportunity,” said Tyo. “(We) thank Soldier for the opportunity to teach and grow our volunteer skill-set in that environment, and for committing to growing lift-access mountain biking in the state.”

If you go

The resort will be open for mountain biking Fridays through Sundays until the end of October, weather permitting, according to a press release. Lift service is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

The mountain bike park will also be open Labor Day. Lift service over the holiday weekend is slated for 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 4, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 5-6, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 7.

Guests will be offered a 50% discount off the regular price of admission to the bike park during the grand opening weekend, Aug. 7-9, according to the press release. Senior, veteran and military discounts are offered.

Soldier Mountain is located at 1043 N. Soldier Creek Road, about 112 miles outside of Boise. Call 208-764-2526 or visit soldiermountain.com for more information.